Lot # 145: 1939 Comedians vs. Leading Men Baseball Program

Starting Bid: $50.00

Bids: 2 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed


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Item was in Auction "Summer, 2025 Premier Auction - Closes August 9",
which ran from 7/23/2025 10:00 PM to
8/9/2025 9:00 PM



Interesting 1939 official program for the "World's Greatest Baseball Game," pitting a team of comedians against a team of "leading men" for a July 15 ballgame. As one would expect from a program for Hollywood celebrities, the book is huge, 76 pages in total plus front and back covers, 12" x 9", bound with three staples. For all its size, content is limited primarily to advertisements, with several pages of photos (mostly movie stars posing in baseball uniforms) and two pages of facsimile signatures. A few innings of the game have actually been scored in pencil. Some of the stars appearing in the game or on the rosters include Gene Raymond (captain of the "Leading Men" team), Walter Able, Jackie Coogan, Jackie Cooper, James Gleason, John Wayne, Buster Keaton (captain of the "Comedians" team), Jimmy Durante (manager of the "Comedians" team), Jack Benny, George Burns, Oliver Hardy, Stan Laurel, Harpo Marx, Slapsy Maxie Rosenbloom, and Mickey Rooney. Though the cover is well worn, with tearing, some chipping at the top edge, and separation at the spine, the interior pages have fared better over the years.

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